Snetterton 17-18 September 2011

Rounds ten and eleven of the 2011 BRSCC Euro Saloon and Sports Car Championship marked a first visit to the new Snetterton 300 circuit since the circuit was extended.

Qualifying:
Richard Fearns (Ginetta G50) won both races last time out and looked to be ready to continue his run as he set pole by 0.5 second from Class C Mark Poole (BMW M3), with Nick Williamson’s Escort Cosworth just 5 thousandths further back in 3rd place. Kevin Wendt (BMW M3) headed Class B in 4th place overall a second further back and over two seconds clear of Richard Hawken (Nissan Primera) who was next up, as drivers struggled to learn the new circuit in a 20 minute session.

Andy Jordan (Renault Clio) took Class D pole by over a second from Stewart Calder, and even though the circuit layout is new, power still tells as was shown by the Class E Peugeot 106 (Nick Boon) and Citroen Saxo (Stuart Herriott) being some way adrift at the back of the grid.

Race 1:
Williamson launched from the line using the extra power of his Escort Cosworth to blast ahead of Fearns and set a storming pace, almost 2 seconds clear by the end of lap 1. Poole had managed to stay in touch but was already 3.5 seconds off the front. The pack was already spreading out, Wendt was in 4th place 5 seconds off the lead, while John Wilson (TVR Cerbera) made a great start to leap from 9th to 5th. Hawken was a first lap retirement, a failed alternator in qualifying led to a flat battery and a DNF, seriously damaging his championship prospects. On the second lap, Williamson pulled another 0.5 seconds away from Fearns while Poole and Wendt were faster than the leader and closed up a fraction.

Pete Challis (Nissan Primera) had started uncharacteristically far back in 12th but was moving up fast, finishing the second lap in 5th, but already 7 seconds adrift of 4th. Williamson was piling on the pressure up front and the gap back to Fearns was increasing, while Poole in 3rd was falling back at 1-2 seconds per lap. Williamson went on to a comfortable victory and set the mark for the new lap record on this circuit configuration, finally eclipsing Fearns’ pole time, with Fearns 10 seconds back in 2nd, Poole (Class C winner) 3rd, while Wendt just held on to keep 4th and the Class B win as Challis ran out of laps to chase him down.

David Pierce (Renault Clio) got a flying start, leaving Stuart Calder (Renault Clio) sideways and Ian Jordan (Renault Clio) on the grass at the first corner, but championship leader Andy Jordan (Renault Clio) powered past Pierce to lead Class D just before the end of the first lap. Ian Jordan moved ahead of Pierce on lap 2 while Calder got by on lap 3, the four Clios maintaining those positions to the end of the race, the 22 points picked up by Andy Jordan (while Hawken DNF’d) almost clinching the championship. In Class E, Boon and Herriott were running at the back, but the class win sees Boon confirmed as Class champion.

Race 2:
Williamson launched into a massive 4.5 second lead from Wendt over the first lap with Fearns and Challis just behind, 5th place Poole was already over 7 seconds off the front such was Williamson’s pace. Wendt fell back to 5th on the second lap after an off, and while Williamson’s pace seemed relentless, Challis moved past Fearns into 2nd place on lap 3, already 6.4 seconds off the lead. Challis upped his pace but Williamson was controlling the race at nothing like the pace from race 1, allowing Challis to take the Class B win and 2nd place, as Williamson won by 4 seconds. Fearns pulled back 0.5 seconds off Challis on the final lap, but was still 0.5 seconds shy in 3rd place, with Poole taking 4th place and his second Class C win of the weekend. Wendt had slipped back and finished 5th, almost 30 seconds behind Poole.

Pierce got off to another good start in the Class D Clio race, while Ian Jordan also got past Andy Jordan at the start. Calder powered past Pierce down the back straight while Andy Jordan retook the lead from Ian Jordan. Calder was running with Class C Mark Todd (Seat Leon), but Todd got past Ian Jordan before spinning allowing Calder to catch up closer. 3 laps later, Calder passed Ian Jordan into the hairpin, a lap later the two Clios run side by side for half the lap, one or other sideways or on two wheels before Calder finally passed the finish line 2nd in class, 0.5 ahead of Ian Jordan, but 6 seconds back from Andy Jordan who took his second class win of the day.

Andy Jordan has all but won the championship – if he doesn’t race in the final round he will be champion, but bizarrely should he race and be disqualified, Hawken can still catch him as DQs cannot count as dropped scores!

Check out the current points standing.

Send comments to: webmaster@nyssaracing.com